


Amelia

by Nekuyo



Category: Gargoyles (TV)
Genre: F/M, Incomplete, Lost Memories, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, avalonian, but going through editing, puck's fiancee, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 06:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2956229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekuyo/pseuds/Nekuyo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Puck had a life and agenda before Xanatos. There was a reason he was in the human world, and her name was Amelia. When she disappeared before the banishment Puck thought his world had fallen apart. Now when it seems she's come back complications ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Prologue

“Emily! Stop dawdling around, your order's up!” A harsh voice came from the kitchen.

“Hold on, hold on! I'm working on it!” A harried voice answered.

A small teenaged girl with a pale complexion and faint freckles rushed around the counter with an armful of dirty dishes she was trying valiantly not to drop before she could get them into the tubs behind the counter. Her dark brown hair was put up in a bun at the back of her head, it was slowly coming undone and tendrils of hair were falling down around her head, some framing her face just a little.

“You need to pick up the pace!” The harsh voice, which belonged to a tall man in his late 40s, said. He was well built, stocky man who had a squared off jawline with a perpetual three day growth. He had balding black hair and had several deep lines along his forehead. Despite his harsh voice he looked fairly friendly.

“Bill, I swear! If you start harassing me and make me drop the food again I'm not eating the bill this time!” Emily shouted back at him. She picked up the order sitting on the counter and rushed off again.

“The hell you won't!” Bill shouted at her from his place at the stove as she left earshot.

The lunch rush was busy busy busy today, especially for such a dinky little restaurant. There wasn't a moments peace between one customer leaving the table a mess and another waiting to be seated at it.

Emily spared a brief moment to glare at Sarah, the redheaded 20-something that was supposedly passing for the second waitress Bill said he'd hire. Emily couldn't be sure, but she was FAIRLY certain the only reason Sarah was able to keep her job here was that she'd started sleeping with Bill. In the long run Emily didn't care, the less tables Sarah handled the more tips Emily got. Sarah seemed perfectly happy to stay at the register and log in under 'hostess' to ensure she got minimum wage for the day. If Bill was aware of this then he turned a blind eye in order to get laid.

If Emily had to guess she'd say that Bill was just lonely. He didn't really strike her as a sleazy kinda guy. He'd never tried to proposition her in that fashion when she started working there, and she didn't think it was because she was hard on the eyes. Actually, the way this guy at the table she was currently serving was eying her agreed with that assessment.

He wasn't the type of fair they usually served here. He looked pretty out of place given that he was wearing a very well tailored suit and glasses that were clearly designer. Very clean cut, very stylish. He didn't seem to mind that he stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Hi, I'm so sorry for the wait. You ordered the club sandwich right?” Emily asked, setting the plate down on the table in front of him.

“Indeed.” He answered. Emily smiled at him and quickly departed as Bill banged on the bell that told her she had another order waiting. Emily had to admit, he was kind of good looking.

'Kinda weird though.' Emily thought as she observed him out of the corner of her eye. He methodically picked at his sandwich and fries using only his right hand. When he came in Emily had noticed that there was something off about his left hand, maybe it was a prosthetic.

“Stop makin' eyes at him and pay attention to the other tables.” Bill grumped at her.

“Oh shut up.” Emily replied.

“It's just terrible how you let her talk to you that way...” She heard Sarah say softly as she started to depart with the tray of food. Emily frowned at that but tried not to be distracted. It was probably just a segue into more flirting.

Besides, how much trouble could she really cause anyway?


	2. A Gut Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xanatos contemplates his dear friend Owen.

Chapter 1: A Gut Feeling

David Xanatos looked at his friend and faithful servant Owen Burnett with heavy contemplation. Owen was playing with his breakfast. This, though unusual and cause for inquiry, was not why he was contemplating Owen so fiercely.

No, David was thinking of the trickster that lay just beneath the surface. Puck was something of a taboo subject between them. More so than ever since the birth of his son Alexander when Owen had unwittingly sacrificed his place in Avalon by siding with Xanatos over his Lord, Oberon. But Owen would always answer a direct inquiry about his life as Puck. And at the moment David was full of them.

"Has the food offended you in some way?" He asked in a light tone instead, surprising himself. Owen looked up startled, as if he'd forgotten that Xanatos was there. He nonchalantly picked up his coffee to cover his surprise.

Owen had been uneasy since the moment he woke up that day. Something had him on edge. There was something.... peculiar in the air, like an electric current. It was a strange sort of magic that seemed so familiar. He knew it could only be Avalonian in nature, but everyone was supposed to be back in Avalon for the Gathering. Except, perhaps...

Owen coughed as he choked a little on his coffee. He gathered himself and cleared his throat.

“Alright, Owen?” He asked.

“Quite.” Owen replied.

“I've noticed you're not quite.... yourself. As it were.” Xanatos thought to mention. Owen thought about how to address this.

“It's nothing sir.” Owen denied.

Owen's personality had changed ever since the incident with Oberon a year ago, Xanatos noted. Admittedly it was hard to tell with someone as 'naturally' stiff as Owen, but the changes were there. It seemed as though there was just.... less to him. He was notably less sardonic, whenever plans got a bit.... convoluted he never called Xanatos on it anymore, and he was much less conversational. He took much less enjoyment out of life.

The only time when this bizarre type of depression let up was after Owen had spent some significant time with Alex. If Xanatos had been any other parent and Owen had been any other man, this would have been cause for great concern. But it wasn't as if Xanatos didn't know exactly what was going on.

'Being trapped in the body of a man so unlike yourself. It must be utterly maddening.' Xanatos mused.

Xanatos thought about trying to question Owen about Puck once again, but didn't get the chance.

“I'd like to request a few days off.” Owen said suddenly. Xanatos' eyebrows went up.

“Very well.” He answered. “You look like you could use them.”

Owen only ever requested days off when he expected conflict in his... schedules. Xanatos couldn't fathom what might come up given that Puck's powered were restricted as they were. But perhaps it'd cheer his friend up a bit.

 

* * *

 

When Owen came back he was rather tight lipped about what he'd done with those three days (as expected) but Xanatos could see a definite.... spring in his step.

Xanatos' curiosity was getting the better of him. In the slight chance that it had been an actual mundane type of vacation Xanatos checked Owen's company credit card.

Most of the charges were rather standard. Lunches for one, regular shopping trips and the like.

However... There were also two night in a hotel and a rather large bill at a local high end jewelry store. THAT was interesting....

“Surely it couldn't be something as boring as getting laid that's put you in such a peppy mood.” Xanatos.

“Sir?” Owen asked, looking up from the papers he'd been examining. He'd been studiously ignoring Xanatos' calculating stare for the past half hour or so.

“You've been much more.... personable, shall we say, ever since you came back from your days off.” Xanatos explained. “I was curious as to your change in mood so I did a little snooping.”

“Oh?” Owen raised an eyebrow and tried not to smirk. “And your best guess was that I went away and had a small tryst?”

“The thought had crossed my mind, but I'd like to think I know you better than that.” Xanatos defended.

“I'm sure.” Owen went back to writing.

“Enigmatic as you are.” Xanatos said with a hint of annoyance. Owen DID smirk at that.

There was a long silence in which Owen was able to get back to work for a short time and Xanatos continued to stare at him. Then Xanatos spoke up again.

“What _did_ you buy at that jewelry store?” Xanatos asked. Owen paused and looked up from the papers again. He didn't answer right away, weighing the options of silence versus disclosure.

“A necklace.” Owen answered.

“Can I see it?” Xanatos asked.

“No.” Owen answered without hesitating that time. Xanatos frowned in disappointment.

“Owen, I know the types of things that are likely to put a spring in your step.” Xanatos said. “Is this necklace likely to.... bring difficulty later on?” He asked.

Owen thought carefully about how to answer that one. It was awfully vague. He knew the necklace would bring about an interesting string of events, but he didn't see them interfering much with the Xanatos clan.

“I don't foresee any conflicts arising, no.” Owen answered.

Xanatos let himself relax at that. He picked up the papers in front of him and got up to leave the office.

“That's not to say,” Owen added. “We won't see some excitement.”

Xanatos paused at the doorway and turned around to see Owen looking at him. There was a glint in his eyes that Xanatos hadn't seen in quite a while. Xanatos just raised an eyebrow at him.

“It's nice to see you're feeling better Owen.”

 

 


	3. Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fox and Owen have a disagreement about how to take care of Alex.

Chapter 2: Fox  
  


Fox was dressed in a dark blue, strapless, evening gown. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail with an ornate silver clip. She had on diamond earrings and a small silver chain with a pendant. She was clearly made up to go out for the evening. But that was the furthest thing from her mind.

Fox was fretting over Alexander. He was fussing and running a fever.

“Huwts.” Alex whined as he rubbed at his forehead with a small balled up hand.

“Oh, sweetie.... Are you sick?” Fox asked. She held him close and laid her cheek on the crown of his head gently as she rocked back and forth on her hips to try and soothe him.

Something had started plaguing Alex at regular intervals recently. Every two weeks or so he'd get inconsolably fussy and start complaining that his head hurt. Fox would try everything to take the pain away and get him to sleep but nothing she did ever did any good. Usually, right as she was at her most desperate and just about to call the doctor, Owen would sweep in and calm him with just a touch. Fox wasn't stupid, she knew Puck's magic was at hand somehow. But to see Alex calmed so quickly and efficiently with Owen not so much as blinking an eye....

Fox had to admit it made her feel a little bitter sometimes.

Owen never bothered explaining to her what was troubling Alex either. Which seemed unnecessary, why shouldn't she know? She tried to explain this to David but he seemed unconcerned. He viewed Owen as an unlimited resource, therefore in his view Owen would always be there to make sure Alex was okay so that she wouldn't have to. Which was a valid enough view, she supposed, given the circumstances. Owen was rather effectively tied to Xanatos, and even more so to Alex. She didn't like to think about that very much.

Just then David came in, looking just a bit like 007 in his high end tuxedo, with Owen trailing in behind him. Fox knew exactly what was going to happen.

“Oh, Alexander....” David gently took Alex from her and held him close.

“He's been fussy all night again.” Fox lamented.

“Owen, you seem to know what's wrong with him.” David shifted and handed Alex off to Owen. “Is this something we should be worried about?”

Owen held Alex with his left hand and passed his right over Alex's forehead a few times. Alex sighed and stopped rubbing at his head. He still looked miserable though.

“It's not going to stop until....” Owen stopped. He'd been addressing Alex. He looked up at the two of them.

“I wouldn't trouble yourself sir.” Owen answered. “I'm sure it will work itself out in time.”

David's posture relaxed considerably.

After a silent moment David looked over to Fox, who was still looking at Owen with a troubled expression on her face.

“Are we ready to go my dear?” David asked.

“David, if Alex is sick then really shouldn't we stay here and look after him?” Fox asked.

“I really don't think that's necessary sir.” Owen interrupted. “I'm sure Alex will benefit from a full nights rest. You and Fox should go and enjoy yourselves. Fox scoffed.

“You're not fooling anyone.” Fox said to Owen. “If Alex really IS sick then should you really take him flying all around New York?” She asked, her voice full of confrontation.

The air between them crackled.

“Neither is Alex sick nor did I have the intention of gallivanting across the city with him.” Owen said more stiffly than normal.

“What are you going to be teaching him tonight then?” Fox asked. “How to stay safely at home and not interfere in dangerous situations?”

“Perhaps if you were less aversive of magic then more of his lessons could be at home.” Owen's voice was steely and cold.

This was a common argument among the two of them. Ever since Titania and Oberon's spectacle last year Fox had been wary of any mention of the Third Race. Conveniently turning a blind eye to the fact that both she and her son had that blood in them she often turned her dislike of them towards Owen. Owen was a prime example of why they made her so uneasy.

Puck, at best, was a mischief maker. A dangerous one at that who liked to cause nothing but trouble for mortals. It was hard to convince Fox that he had any good intentions no matter how attached he seemed to be towards her family. But here he was parading around as Owen Burnett, a man she'd known almost all of her life and one she had thought she'd known to be respectable, hard working, and trustworthy.

To find her mother was Titania... That had been a terrible shock, but one that was almost forgivable in a sense. For someone as detached from her parents as she was to find out her mother came from an entirely different world was almost reasonable. But to find out that beneath strong, upstanding Owen lay the terrible trickster Puck.... It was almost as if they'd all been manipulating her life from the start. And now they were after her son's as well.

It didn't help that Owen was terribly secretive of his life as Puck, which ended up including the lessons he gave Alex.

“David.... we're going to be late for the benefit.” Fox said in a stiff voice after a moment.

“Of course.” David said.

Xanatos had been watching the interplay between Owen and Fox very carefully. He'd thought to take Alex out of the room, but decided that his presence was most likely the most effective dampener the two of them had. It was only their mutual protectiveness of him that caused the two of them to fight.

Fox wrapped one of her arms around one of David's and let herself be led out of the room. Owen sighed and turned his attention back to Alex. Alex was giving him a reproachful look.

“Oh, are we blaming me now?” Owen's voice shifted. He morphed into Puck and tossed Alex up into the air. Alex floated there for a moment before coming down slowly into Puck's arms again.

“Your mother worries so much. You've got to understand that it's just in her nature to fight over you. If you could recall the circumstances you were born under you'd know why.” Puck explained.

“But now that she's gone lets see if we can't get rid of some of that excess energy that's giving you so much trouble...”

Alex's eyes practically glowed with excitement.

“What you teach tonight Puck?” Alex asked.

“Oh, nothing exciting I think.” Puck lamented. He dug around in his sash and pulled out a necklace. He held it up in front of Alex, who took hold of it gingerly.

The necklace was a mossy colored, translucent stone that resembled quartz. It had gold molding around the top of it that had a small loop through which a golden chain was threaded.

“Alex, what can you tell me about the owner of this necklace?” Puck asked innocently. 

 


	4. Lexington

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexington and Puck have a talk.

Chapter 3: Lexington

  
Young Alexander had been able to identify most of what Puck already knew about the necklace. Which was good, he supposed. He hadn't really expected Alexander to be able to do any more than that. The necklace was a unique teaching tool in that it essentially held all the right magical signatures to be identifiable as a Child of Oberon without Puck actually having to bring one in, which was both impossible and dangerous. Identifying certain types of magical cues was a handy skill that he was glad Alex would have the opportunity to learn this way.

But there was still the matter of the necklace itself to be addressed. Puck couldn't fathom how it had come into being. What had happened to the previous owner of the magic this necklace now possessed? Surely she hadn't just disappeared into thin air...

Puck set Alexander to playing 'carousel' with his toys and making other mischief about the room to tire himself out as he studied the necklace himself. To anyone not versed in magic it would seem like just an ordinary necklace. The proprietor of the jewelry shop he'd found it at hadn't the foggiest idea what he had.

'Of course, they never do.' Puck mused.

But to anyone who might know what they were looking at....

A noise from the hallway disrupted his thoughts. Puck looked at the clock on the wall quickly. It wasn't time for David and Fox to be back. It must be one of the gargoyles. Lexington, most likely, as he liked to check in on Alexander before the boy went to bed. Puck didn't bother to hide behind Owen. The Gargoyles were surprisingly very tolerant of him, perhaps because of his machinations during the Coldstone dilemma. They also seemed to have a clearer notion of the need for Alexander's lessons than his mother did, which Puck found odd.

It was, in fact, Lexington that padded into the room just a moment later. Much to Alexander's excitement.

“Lex!” Alexander shouted. His toys went raining down to the floor as he was distracted.

Puck and Lexington got along rather well actually. Perhaps bonding over the mutual fondness for Young Alexander. Ever since that first lesson Lexington was willing to put up with quite a lot. Often he was the butt of the.... lessons that Puck would teach. Or an otherwise instrumental part. If he'd been particularly offended by some of them he generally took out his ire by playing some sort of prank on Owen. Puck thought this was great fun.

“So, what sort of stuff have you been learning tonight?” Lexington asked Alexander.

“No lesson.” Alexander lamented.

“No lesson? Then why are you here Puck?” Lexington asked. Puck, who was still floating in the air and examining the necklace, hadn't been paying much attention. He let his head dangle upside down so he could look at Lexington.

“The kid's got to stretch his legs every once in a while, so to speak. Especially while his mother is away.” Puck explained. “I'm just here to make sure he stays within reasonable limits. And do a bit of stretching myself I suppose.” Puck had sort of trailed off by the end there. He'd went back to studying the necklace. It was terribly distracting.

“What have you got there?” Lexington asked, noticing the necklace as the light reflected off of it. Puck clapped his hands around it suddenly.

“Nothing!” He shouted. He landed on the floor and put the necklace behind his back.

“A shiny, magical sort of nothing?” Lexington asked skeptically.

“That's exactly the kind.” Puck agreed. Lexington raised an eyebrow ridge at him.

“You don't believe me?” Puck asked, inspiration suddenly hitting him. “See for yourself.” He tossed the necklace at Lexington, who caught it deftly.

Lexington opened his hand cautiously to reveal the mossy green gem.

“A necklace?” He asked. He turned it over in his hands and admired how it caught the light.

“A very old one.” Puck answered. “It used to belong to an acquaintance of mine I believe.”

“Who?” Lexington asked.

“No one in particular....” Puck evaded. “But I'm rather concerned she'll come looking for it while I'm out of town later in the week.” Puck said, wandering away and pretending to inspect Alexander.

“Where are you going?” Lexington asked, not taking his eyes off of the necklace.

“Xanatos is gallivanting off to California to finish some boring business merger, and of course Owen has to go along. I'd hate to take it with me, since it'd be so much safer here...” Lexington looked up at Puck eagerly.

“Did you.... want me to guard it for you?” Lexington asked. Puck spun on his heel, clasping his hands together.

“What a grand idea! That's exactly what I need, would you? I'm sure it wouldn't give you _any_ trouble....” Puck gushed.

“Yeah, it'd be no problem.” Lexington insisted.

Just then Alex let out a loud yawn and all the toys in the room fell to the floor.

“Ah, that sounds like my cue.” Puck said. He shifted back into Owen and picked up Alexander.

“Say goodnight to Lexington, Alexander.” Owen said quietly.

“Mmmmnight Lex.” Alex mumbled.

“Night Alex.” Lexington said with a smile as Owen started walking away. Owen turned back.

“Lexington, one more thing.” Owen said.

“Yeah?” Lexingtion asked.

“It's very important that you don't put the necklace on.”

* * *

 

Lexington made his way back up to the upper levels of the castle. Back into "gargoyle territory" as it were. He held the necklace in his hand still, Owen's warning fresh on his mind.

He looked down at the necklace in his hand, willing his curiosity not to get the better of him as it so often did.

"Don't think about it." Lexington told himself. "He warned you not to for a reason." Lexington put the necklace in his pocket and resolved not to think about it.

It wasn't much use, there was no denying that Lexington was born of magpies. Metaphorically of course. He loved shiny new things. Not in the sense that he wanted to keep them and hoard them in a nest, but in the way that he wanted to touch them and see how they worked and what they did. It was why he liked computers so much. Now he was drawn to the necklace in the same way.

"Magical artifacts are nothing but trouble anyway." Lexington mumbled to himself.

“Magical artifacts?” Goliath asked from somewhere behind Lexington. Lexington startled and turned around quickly.

“Goliath!” Lexington said in surprise. “I was just... talking to myself.”

“About magic?” Goliath questioned.

“Well... it comes up from time to time. Because of Alex and stuff.” Lexington reasoned. Goliath made a pensive noise and dropped the subject. Lexington winced as Goliath walked away. He didn't know why he had lied to Goliath. Panic he supposed. But as long as he stopped thinking too much about the thing in his pocket it'd be alright really. There wouldn't be any problems. 


	5. The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen's last lunch at the diner.

Chapter 4: The Invitation

 

The sharp dressed blonde man with the prosthetic hand was back again. That was actually the upper of Emily's day. Sarah hadn't come in today and so Emily had to do the tables and man the register. Bill hadn't come in today so his sister was in the office just in case, and her son was manning the stoves and doing a mediocre job at best. She kept having to return orders that he either burnt or messed up in some way.

“Rough day?” The blonde man asked, clearly amused at her frustrated expression.

“With the knowledge that my problems are small in the grand scheme of things, I TRY not to be too annoyed with them.” Emily replied calmly. “That's not working today.” She added as the punchline. He smirked at her.

“So, you'll have the club again?” Emily asked.

“Yes please.” He said as he handed her the menu.

“Oh good. At least that's an order the idiot back there isn't likely to screw up.” Emily said in a sarcastically cheerful voice before walking away.

Not half an hour later Bill came in the door looking more than a little cranky. He went straight to the back office. Emily scoped the room before deciding it was probably okay to follow him.

“What do mean there's a mobster in the dining room? Do I LOOK like the kind of idiot that would fall for that protection racket bullshit?” She heard Bill yell.

“If that guy in the suit isn't with the mob than what is he?” Bill's sister (Emily couldn't remember if her name was Mary or Marie) asked in a softer voice.

“What guy?” Bill asked in exasperation. Sensing that whatsherface was probably going to show him Emily attempted to flee before getting caught eavesdropping. Sarah blocked her path.

“When did you get in?” Emily asked roughly. Sarah frowned at her.

“I came in with Billy.” Emily carefully didn't roll her eyes at the way she'd said that.

“What are you two doing back here?” Bill asked as his sister passed by the two of them. Emily turned around to face him.

“Oh, Boss-” Emily started.

“The front's busy isn't it? Get up there.” He said.

“Right.” Emily quickly retreated to the front – which is where she wanted to be anyway so that worked out okay.

“That's the one.” The woman pointed to the blonde man discreetly when Bill got up front as well.

“Marie....” Bill sighed, conveniently clarifying Emily's name issue. “He's not with the mob. His credit card is issued from Xanatos Corporation. He's one of the higher-ups from the Eerie Building.” Bill explained.

“You mean the gargoyle building?” Sarah spoke up, sounding really creeped out.

“That's just as bad. You know that corporation is up to no good, housing those devilish creatures.” Marie crossed her arms defiantly. “You should ask him to leave.”

“What? But he's a regular. Plus he tips so well.” Emily complained. He was just sitting there eating his sandwich, Emily couldn't see anything wrong with this picture.... except that his drink was nearly empty, she should probably ask if he needed a refill. Emily slipped out from behind the counter to do just that before Bill grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Oh c'mon, you can't be serious.” Emily protested.

“Go see to the other customers.” Bill told her. Emily rolled her eyes in disgust but did as she was told.

As Emily went around and refilled coffees and cleared plates she kept her eyes on Bill and the blonde man. After a heated discussion in whispers with Marie, Bill went and started up a conversation with the man. It all seemed to start out amicably enough. Bill shook his hand and sat down on the other side of the booth and they talked for a minute. Then the blonde man raised an eyebrow at Bill. Emily suspected that's when the whole thing started to go downhill. Emily couldn't believe that Bill was actually going to ask the man to leave just because he worked at some company that may or may not have peculiar business practices.

Though now that Emily thought about it... David Xanatos was always in the news for doing something weird. He'd gone to jail a time or two as well. She wondered what kind of job this guy had at Xanatos Corp. He must lead an interesting life.

Emily must have missed the last part of the conversation as she was at the register with a customer because the next customer up to pay was the blonde man. Emily wasn't sure what to say to him. He was a fairly stiff person so it was hard to pinpoint how he felt about all of this.

“How was your meal?” She recited at a loss.

“The first half of it was quite good.” The man said as he pulled out his wallet. “The last half is likely to disagree with me.” Emily snorted and grinned at him.

“Do you get thrown out of establishments often for working at Xanatos...” Emily examined his card. “Mr. Burnett?”

“No.” He said. “Usually I get hounded by reporters. The anonymity of this part of town is a pleasant alternative.”

“Well, hopefully you can find yourself another nice anonymous diner. One where the manager ISN'T being hounded by his sister and his girlfriend to get rid of you.” Emily said wryly.

“I'm sure I will before too long.” He commented. “But in the mean time, I'd like to ask you to dinner.”

Emily didn't know exactly what to say to that. Though most of her was calling herself an idiot for hesitating. Here was a good looking guy who was clearly well off and he was asking her out, what was there to think about? But the back of her mind was filled with paranoia. This guy WAS well off, and more than 10 years older than her. What did he want with her anyway?

“Okay.” Emily said. She hoped she hadn't hesitated too long.

“Excellent.” As he took his card back he handed her a tip along with another card. His business card.

“Have a nice day.” Emily said as he left.

'Owen Burnett'... Emily thought as she examined the card. She nearly choked when she noticed his title. She slipped the card into her pocket discreetly.

“What did you talk to him about?” Sarah asked.

“Oh....” Emily hemmed. “He wasn't all that pleased with being kicked out. I was just placating him.” Sarah didn't look convinced.

“What'd he give you?” Sarah eyed Emily's pocket.

“A nice tip, what's it to you?” Emily started to walk away. Sarah's hand went out to reach for Emily's pocket but Emily dodged out of the way.

“Stay out of my business.” Emily said, feeling affronted. Emily managed to walk away successfully that time and get back to work.  


	6. Dream a Little Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen muses on a funny dream he had the day he acquired the necklace.

Chapter 5: Dream a Little Dream

Owen's first indication that the necklace might actually _do_ something was the day he found it. Of course as it was an Avalonian artifact and he hailed from Avalon it wouldn't have had any effect on him unless he had allowed it. But he'd been so desperate for some indication of her. Any sign that the necklace was still attached to her in some way... So he'd opened his mind up to potential influence.

Very little had happened during the day when he wore it. The magic that resonated through the necklace had filtered through him but didn't interact in any way. Though he had to admit the way it flowed through him was rather..... distracting. He thought perhaps it recognized him.

He was able to go through his day perfectly normally. He milled around parts of the city where he normally wouldn't. He took care of some mundane shopping. Then sometime in the afternoon he found a diner he ended up liking enough that he'd became a regular until just recently. It wasn't until that afternoon at the diner that the necklace started to make it's presence slightly more known.

He'd noticed the waitress right away. Actually, he'd been rather shamelessly flirting with her. At least as much as Owen possibly could, he wasn't really designed to be flirtatious. But the waitress had gotten his attention in some way. It was about halfway through his meal that the necklace... reacted. To his flirtatious frame of mind he supposed. The magic started to.... caress him. Fondly. And VERY familiarly.

If she'd had physical form it would have been completely indecent.

Owen beat a hasty retreat to the hotel he'd booked the day before. If he'd had less control or had been wearing a shorter jacket he suspected he might've embarrassed himself quite a bit. But as soon as he was alone the necklace stopped drumming through him just as suddenly as it had started. Just the same he didn't attempt to go out again that day.

He spent a long evening studying the necklace trying to determine the source of the phenomenon before putting it around his neck and going to bed.

He dreamt very vividly that night.

 

_“Robin!” A delighted voice whispered to him._

_Puck opened his eyes sat up quickly to find himself in a grassy patch on a forest floor. It was peaceful and quiet. The leaves rustled somewhere behind him and he turned. The wind blew gently and the branches of all the trees around him swayed._

_“I knew you'd find me.” A mischievous feminine voice said with a giggle. Puck spun around, hoping to spot the source._

_“You always do.” Arms draped around him from behind. He resisted a surprised yelp._

_Puck stood very still and brought his hands up to brush his fingers against the arms around his shoulders._

_After a moment he turned around again, this time slower._

_“Amelia....” He gasped as he finally caught sight of her. He had so many questions to ask, so many thoughts on his mind, that none of them seemed to want to be first. He just stood there staring at her._

_“Amelia...” He tried again. This time only to be cut off by her lips. All those many thoughts he'd had just a moment ago completely dissipated, driven away by Amelia's soft lips and gentle touches. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace._

_“Robin.” Amelia whimpered as his hands moved against her back._

_Puck dragged her down onto the grass._

_The scene broke and suddenly Owen was looking into what seemed to be a scrying mirror of sorts. Puck and Amelia were getting rather passionate._

_“I'll give you a hint.” Came a disembodied female voice he didn't quite recognize. “I did it on purpose.”_

_The mirror flashed and for just a split second he caught a glimpse of a pale visage with long brown hair before the mirror shattered._

 

Owen awoke with a jolt. He sat up in bed panting. He laid back down on the bed as he caught his breath. He took a mental assessment of himself and groaned as he realized the state his body was in. A cold shower was clearly in order.

He lifted the necklace over his head and off his neck. He held the necklace up and watched as it seemed to catch a light that wasn't there.  

 

* * *

 

Owen was certain there was no more he could do alone at this point. He'd studied the necklace thoroughly to no avail. Really his only choice was to let it out onto the world to see what would happen. Feeling guilty at this point would be completely useless. 


	7. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setting the date for date night.

Chapter 6: The Call

Emily stumbled into her little hole in the wall apartment while staving off an exhausted yawn. She'd been pulling a few difficult shifts because Sarah and 'Billy' were having a little bit of a lovers quarrel and Sarah wasn't mature enough to show up to work and Bill wasn't man enough to fire her for it and couldn't (or was unwilling to) hire a temporary replacement. Plus she'd taken on a few more hours because one of the waitresses on 2nd shift – Jean – had quit because she'd gotten a better job. Something in an office.

Emily had to wonder where one could find the time to search for another job. It seemed like being a waitress took up most of her time. Between actually going to the job, then finding comfortable shoes that weren't expensive, washing her uniform by hand because she couldn't afford an apartment with a washing machine, and practicing her smile in the mirror to get better tips, plus the stress of wondering if Sarah wasn't trying to get her fired for some reason.... She couldn't even find the energy to summon the brain power to decide whether or not to go on a date.

Truth be told she'd been staring at that business card for the last week and still couldn't make her mind up to call him. She'd wanted to go with him immediately when he'd first asked, just something about his face.... But once she'd gotten a chance to consider it it all just seemed a little too weird.

A well off guy like that doesn't just come into a diner for a week and then asks out the waitress just as he's being run off... do they? She supposed she couldn't really know what normal behavior for someone like that would be. Maybe he'd become a regular at the diner in the first place so that he could ask her out and didn't want to lose his last opportunity. Bill's cooking wasn't THAT good.

There wasn't any reason to assume that he wanted any sort of relationship though. Maybe he just wanted a pick up. But she didn't know if she wanted to spend time and energy on what would basically be a one night stand.

She'd been down all of these lines of thought before. They weren't really helping and she really couldn't help but think that she was making this too hard. She set all these thoughts aside and worked on getting food. She hadn't gotten the chance to go grocery shopping yet and she was sort of at the end of the last paycheck anyway so there wasn't much in the kitchen. She poked around the cupboards and was able to procure a can of tuna and crackers. That'd do.

She pulled out some mustard and relish and mixed it into the tuna using the can as a bowl. She carefully spread a small dollop of it on a saltine. This familiar and mundane motion spurred some peculiar thoughts in her head.

Emily remembered when she first came to New York. She hadn't had many grand delusions of what it would be like. She was only 16 at the time, she expected it to be hard. But in the back of her mind she had expected some sort of reward for the hardship. Some sort of glamorous lifestyle at the end of the tunnel. Now, three years later, she was staring down at her decidedly unglamorous dinner of tuna and crackers and deliberately avoiding the one interesting thing that was happening in her life right now.

Emily stuffed the cracker into her mouth and went to go get the card. She was going to call him before she lost her nerve.

 

* * *

 

Owen was perusing his notes over the dinner table. Xanatos had taken his entourage and a small group from ShoreCast out to dinner to finalize the deal. Owen's phone rang, chirping quietly through the din of the restaurant. Xanatos gave him an incredulous look.

“Who could you have possibly given that number that isn't here already?” Xanatos asked. He sounded rather smug, like he already knew. Owen was sure he was bluffing.

It was a call he'd been expecting, though now wasn't really the best time to take it. He quickly got up from the table and answered the phone.

“Burnett.” He answered sharply. There was a pause at the end of the line.

“Did I call at a bad time?” It was Emily.

“Not at all. I was just in the middle of a business dinner.” Owen answered.

“How late do you work?” Emily asked.

“I'm on the west coast at the moment. It's three hours earlier here.” He explained.

“Oh.... Well...” There was another pause. Owen decided to cut to the chase.

“I'll be back in New York by Friday, if you'll be free then?”

“Umm... Yes, I will. Be free on Friday.” She didn't sound very confident in that assessment.

“Would Saturday be better?” Owen questioned.

“No.” Emily said quickly. “Friday is fine.”

Owen raised an eyebrow even though he knew she couldn't see it.

“It is, I just have to rearrange a few things. It wouldn't be any better on Saturday.” Emily had apparently sensed his incredulous stare even through the phone.

“Very well. How shall I reach you then?” Owen asked. Owen snaked his way back to the table discreetly and held the phone with his shoulder while he jotted down Emily's home number. He deliberately ignored Xanatos' curiosity and took the paper with him, stuffing it into his breast pocket while he left the table again.

“I'll call you on Friday then to get your address beforehand. 8 O'Clock?”

“Sounds great.” Emily answered. “I'll leave you to your dinner now, didn't mean to interrupt.”

Owen pocketed his phone and made his way back to the table.

Xanatos gave him a look when he sat back down. Owen ignored it.

 

* * *

 

Emily hated talking on phones. That had been rather unpleasant. Owen's clipped tones had come across like he hadn't really wanted to be talking to her just then. The way he'd answered the phone had made her seriously consider hanging up for a split second before she got her nerve up.

Well, it was over with now. She officially had a date for Friday. That was only a few days away and she knew she had to work. That shouldn't be a problem since she worked in the morning and the date wouldn't be until 8 in the evening.... but she had the feeling that she should probably try to take the day off. If nothing else then to pamper herself. She was determined to have a good day on Friday.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goliath passes judgement on the necklace, Emily has problems with her boss.

Chapter 7: Setting the Scene

“Hey Lex, what've you got there?” Brooklyn asked.

Lexington jumped. He'd been studying the necklace, turning it over and over in his hands. He clutched the necklace tightly, tempted to deny having anything. Guilt poked at him from when he had lied to Goliath.

“It's a necklace.” Lexington answered. “Owen gave it to me to look after while he's in California.”

“He couldn't just put it in a vault or something?” Brooklyn asked. He peered down at the green gem in Lexington's hands.

“I think it's got magical properties.” Lexington explained. “He seemed kind of concerned that someone might try to take it.”

“You think we should tell Goliath?” Brooklyn asked.

“It doesn't seem dangerous.” Lexington hesitated.

“Yeah, but we've seen a lot of magical artifacts that seemed perfectly harmless and ended up doing a lot of damage.” Brooklyn pointed out. Lexington knew he was right.

“Owen said it was fine as long as I didn't put it on.” Lexington halfheartedly argued. “And.... I don't know, it seemed kind of like it has some sort of sentimental value to Puck. If we showed Goliath he'd want to lock it up or something.”

Brooklyn stopped to consider this, rubbing his chin in thought. If it belonged to Owen, Goliath didn't really have the right to lock it away somewhere. But it was still a potentially dangerous item.

“Mmm,” Brooklyn mused. “I think we should take it to Goliath anyway. But make our case for it being returned to Owen when he gets back.” Brooklyn held out his hand for the necklace.

Lexington sighed and, under some internal duress, dropped the necklace into Brooklyn's hand.

They took the necklace to Goliath and let him inspect it.

“And he didn't say what it's purpose was?” Goliath asked, holding the necklace up to the light.

“No. He just said that he didn't think it would be dangerous to me as long as I didn't put it on.” Lexington replied.

“And he gave it to you to... protect?” Goliath asked. He brought his hand down and turned the gem over in his palm.

“Yes.” Lexington answered. “He said he wanted it to be safe if someone came after it.”

Goliath started at that.

“Come after it?” Goliath asked. Lexington shrugged.

“Well, it is a magical artifact of some kind. There could be any number of people out there looking for it for some reason or another...” Lexington reasoned.

“And since we don't know what it does, we don't know what havoc it could wreak if put in the wrong hands.” Goliath finished.

“Then we will keep it safe.” Goliath resolved, handing the necklace to Lexington. “If you leave the castle don't carry it with you, give it to someone else. We haven't a clue what it might do so handle it with care and don't put it on under any circumstance.”

“When Owen comes back we'll question him more thoroughly about the potential dangers that might surround it.” Goliath decided.

Lexington nodded and stuck the necklace into his pocket.

* * *

All through her shift on Wednesday Emily rehearsed her request to have Friday off. Trying to come at it from different angles. She didn't think the pity angle would work very well.

“ _Think of my social life! I spend all my time working and never get to socialize with people on a normal level. Surely I deserve some time off to go out and enjoy myself among civilized people_?” Emily went over that in her head. It made Bill look bad. Like he didn't care about his employees. Rather than invoking pity it'd probably invoke a sense of indignation. She didn't think it'd work any better if she pleaded the case for her love life either. So mentioning the date wouldn't give that argument any points.

“ _Hey Boss. I'm always on time, right? Plus I've been picking up a lot of extra hours on half time instead of overtime to help you out, yeah? Don't you think that maybe I deserve just one day off, since I've been doing such a wonderful job lately_?” Emily thought that sounded better. If she played up how she was such a good employee she was maybe it'd guilt him into giving her a day off. She was essentially doing work for three people. Surely that merited something.

Confident that this tactic was the one that would work best she went to try it on Bill. There were no new customers at the moment so now was as good a time as any.

“Hey Boss....” Emily started as she knocked quietly on the door frame of the 'office', which was really more of a cove since it lacked an actual door.

“Yeah?” Bill grunted over his paper work. He looked up at her. Emily hedged a bit, he didn't really look in the mood for this conversation.

“Mmm.... you look busy. I'll come back later.” Emily replied.

Bill nodded absently, then looked up as if reminded of something.

“Oh, I've scheduled you for Jean's old Friday evening shift from now on.” He said.

Emily bit back a scream. That was just the worst sort of luck.

“That's fine, but you'll have to find someone to cover this Friday.” Emily replied.

“What for?” Bill asked, looking displeased at this revelation.

“Well, since I normally have Friday evenings off I already made plans.” She explained.

“Why are you just now letting me know? I was counting on you to cover that shift anyway.” Bill asked in outrage.

“Why didn't you let me know sooner then? You're not really good at giving advance notice of schedule changes.” Emily countered.

“That's never been a problem before.” Bill pointed out.

“That's because I usually cancel my plans. Which I'm not willing to do this time.” Emily explained.

“Emily, I NEED someone to cover that shift. Lizzie can't do a Friday night shift be herself.” Bill protested.

“Which is why you should have hired someone to replace Jean way before now. She left more than a month ago and it's not like you'd be lacking for applicants if you'd just bother to post a help wanted sign.” Emily countered.

This seemed true enough. She remembered getting hired here. Several women had applied just the same day she had, and she suspected several more for each day that week had too. She didn't doubt that it'd be the same now. Especially with how everyone was talking about the job market.

No, it definitely wasn't that Bill couldn't hire a new waitress. It's that he just wouldn't for some reason. She couldn't begin to guess why. The result of this was that there were several open hours in the evening shifts now that Bill expected the other waitresses to fill, and while Emily was the first to jump on more hours there was still a limit to what she could do and what she felt she should be expected to do. She felt like this was reaching it.

“Maybe Sarah would be interested in picking up some extra hours or something.” Emily said, trying to be helpful. She'd seen the work schedule. It hadn't surprised her at all to see that Sarah wasn't scheduled for any more than her regular shift whereas just about everyone else had snagged up a few hours of Jean's old shifts.

Bill didn't find this suggestion helpful at all, at least not if the look on his face was any indication. Emily was about to defend the statement but was interrupted by the front door chiming.

She went to the front feeling as though their conversation was unresolved. She could feel it biting her in the ass already.

 


End file.
